1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cat litter boxes, and more particularly to a cat litter box that prevents litter from being scattered about and other animals from accessing the litter.
2. Description of Related Art
Conventionally, litter boxes are indoor solid and liquid waste collection boxes that are commonly used by cats. Cats may enter the litter box to relieve themselves of waste, without having to go outside. Because cats naturally excrete in soft soil which permits easy burial of the waste, the litter box is filled with a litter box filler commonly made of a loose granular material that absorbs moisture and odor. Waste may collect in the litter box for a period of time until cleaning is eventually required.
Litter boxes are generally constructed with a base integrally molded to surrounding walls that retain the filler within the box. The box may have a lid with an aperture for the cat to ingress and egress from the litter box. Alternatively, the aperture may be positioned on one of the sidewalls. Litter scatter around the box is a problem due to the activity of the animals within the litter box, and the fine granularity of litter. In addition, most regular litter boxes are shallowly filled, because of their low sidewalls, which makes cat sand sticking to the bottom of the box a problem.
A common problem with the aforementioned design is that other animals, namely dogs, can access the litter box. Unfortunately, dogs are naturally drawn to and even enjoy the cat excrement causing numerous health problems. Specifically, canine coprophagia may cause intestinal blockage, and promote the transmission of parasites present in cat feces such as a Toxoplasma gondii. 
Based on the foregoing, there is a need in the art for a cat litter box that can be utilized by cats while restricting other animals from accessing the waste contents stored therein.